Creatives on the Rise
What the future of hiring is looking like for people with taste
As much as I hate (and love) doomscrolling, TikTok has given me some hope in the midst of endless news about politics and global turmoil. Last night, (maybe because of my algorithm) I received a number of videos about the spike in demand for people who are talented in curation. In other words, those who can create a vision of a mood and execute it with recourses at hand. But the thing is, individuals with these talents have been around for centuries, probably since the Wunderkammer or the Cabinets of Curiosities from the 16th century. So, why are we seeing this spike now?
Over the last few months, Anthropic Ai (Claude) has developed a generational run of new tools for website building, advertising, branding, coding, and more. If you wanted to, you could build a new app entirely on your own at no cost or experience in software development because all of these tools are now accessible to everyone. A decade ago, if you wanted to develop software or start a business with no prior experience, you would have to partner with another company to help you build your product or hire a team, which would usually be a larger expense and take abundant time. Anthropic Ai’s tools now test and re-test themselves. The Ai is so intelligent that it redevelops its own code, making new generations of little claudlettes without an actual human having to do anything. The supervisor can just leave their desk for hours, letting Claude do all of the work. Right now, we are witnessing a mass shift from ChatGPT users to Claude users, proving that the tools Anthropic introduced are generating a huge stream of interest. This shift has also escalated due to the recent OpenAI deal with the United States Department of Defense, which Anthropic rejected, refusing to loosen its safety standards.
Now that anyone with access to internet can use Anthropic’s tools, we will see a huge surge in personal brands and companies entering the market in all sectors. Competition will increase and these small businesses will fight to stay relevant amidst the ocean of comparables. This is where the creatives come in. What Ai is currently spewing out is mostly tasteless, yet companies with no vision will use the Ai formatting anyway, prizing time or quantity over quality. To be successful, in my opinion, requires a niche and it requires a human touch, a vision that Ai cannot replicate. Something with texture, with charm. So, if you see patterns better than others and know what belongs together visually on instinct, you will be in demand to leverage new brands above the sea of competitors. In 2026, we have access to the tools to make anything possible and profitable, but as more players enter the ring, those that have the skill to give something context in a world drowned in content will prevail.
For me, an art history graduate student contemplating on what to do after I finish my degree, I now see a world of possibilities. To be able to understand the history of art, visually recognize artists, and understand their content in the context of cultural standpoints is a feat and one that has existed since antiquity. Centuries of civil downfall and rebuilding has caused society to shift and learn from its mistakes, and now with the introduction of Ai, who knows where the future will lead us? One thing I know for certain: taste is something that has existed quietly for long enough to remain relevant. It is not going anywhere—if anything, it is needed now more than ever.
If you’re feeling inspired, here is a short list of my favorite design books and magazines!
Center: Cabana Magazine
Right: Donald Judd Spaces
See you next time. Xx Lucy.
A healthy dose of optimism to brighten my day!!💛☺️
Thank you for this perspective and here's to all the creatives for making life so much interesting!